Convincing employers to hire older workers is proving tricky

Misty Harris, Postmedia News07.23.2012

Undated handout photo of Laurence Malley who lost his senior position in the automotive industry two years ago and has been unable to find employment since. He believes that being in his sixties is his undoing at job interviews.

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Laurence Malley has a degree in mechanical engineering, is a wizard with a computer and has 35 years of experience in the automotive industry. But at 62, the Vancouver man can't even get hired as a delivery person, let alone in the management positions for which he's qualified.

"The majority of people interviewing me are half my age," says Malley, hastening to add he isn't picky with his choice of position.

"I was (previously) making $90,000, plus a car and expenses. Well, I've applied for jobs offering half that - and then I'm overqualified. I've tried part-time, full-time, different segments of the industry, RV jobs. I even applied to be a parts delivery driver."

Canada is looking at a worker shortfall of two to three million employees over the next 30 years, assuming current demographic and labour trends hold. If everyone were to postpone retirement until at least age 66, however, economists say it would add roughly two million people back into the workforce by 2040.

But convincing employers to keep or hire older workers is proving tricky, as Malley's experience illustrates.

The solutions centre on finding ways to reward both employee and employer for embracing the mature worker.

Jeff Moir, partner at Deloitte's consulting group, proposes a number of strategies that companies, governments and older employees should consider. They range from job-sharing programs to virtual work, flexible hours, contract positions - even changes in pension structure, so older employees aren't punished if they take jobs that reduce their income in their final years of work.

He also pushes for better management-level education about how different generations can work together successfully in an organization.

"I don't understand the appeal of Twitter. But that doesn't mean I can't work effectively with the 25-year-olds on my team," says Moir.

What are some of the other solutions to the age-discrimination paradox?

1). Stay current, and adapt to change. It's true for any worker, but perhaps more so for the older set.

Sara Parker, the 30-year-old program director at Lite 95.7 and Hot 107 in Edmonton, says it's imperative that her employees always be two steps ahead.

"I find that there are some times where, maybe, the older generation is unwilling to make those two steps," says Parker, though she believes it's less about age than agility.

"My mid-day (radio host) is a young 51. She's considered a baby boomer but she's chosen to move with the times and has completely made herself applicable to this workforce."

2). Know what you will and won't do. Jill Schofield, managing director at executive search firm DHL International, says companies indeed need senior workers to fill leadership roles but they also can't risk hiring someone who's wishy-washy about the hours they want to work or how long they plan to stay on the job.

"If I got that (indecisive) attitude from a 35-year-old, I wouldn't hire them," says Schofield, who's based in Calgary. "It's really important for people who are senior - in age and experience - to know how long they want to work."

3). Be creative about rewards. Attracting and retaining employees isn't strictly about economics; not all older employees demand or expect high salaries. Alberta School of Business professor Ian Gellatly notes that many baby boomers aren't motivated by salary as much as engagement: being exposed to new ideas, getting chances to be involved in the community, being afforded mentorship opportunities through which they can share their experience, talent and wisdom.

"Money is important. But there are so many other needs that can be satisfied through work," says Gellatly, who specializes in organizational behaviour and human resource management.

4) Innovate. Companies across Canada have found creative ways to leverage the skills of mature employees, as well as those of recent retirees looking to work again.

At Stantec, which provides consulting services in planning, engineering and architecture, senior staffers are assigned to local students (who may also be prospective employees), whom they mentor on the benefits of a career in architecture, engineering and construction, as well as the types of technology and projects inherent to those jobs.

At Seniors For Seniors, a homecare organization with offices in Ontario and Nova Scotia, recent retirees are finding meaningful part-time work as "junior seniors": providing support, companionship and home services to "senior seniors" (generally age 85 and older) so they can live in their community longer and not be relegated to long-term care.

"We get 20 people a day calling up and looking for work in our Toronto office alone," says founder Peter Cook, 73.

Others still are taking the reins and hiring themselves. Doug Bruce, The Canadian Federation of Independent Business's director of research, reports that nearly 60 per cent of CFIB members who own small or medium-sized businesses are, in fact, baby boomers.

Among the self-employed is 68-year-old Patricia Elford. She retired from her educational kinesiology business, Brain Gym, after a bad car accident three years ago, but later returned to the workforce. (Brain Gym focuses on activities and exercises that aim to improve mind and body.)

Elford believes age has actually been an asset in attracting clients.

"I'm grey, I'm about to be 69, and people say, 'You have so much energy!' It helps them realize that maybe there's something to what I'm (teaching)," says Elford, who lives in a Silvera seniors' community in Calgary. "I'm a walking example of how you don't have to sit and stare out the window as you get older."

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